Fourth All-China Games to start in May

BEIJING, April 12 (Xinhua) -- The fourth All-China Games, a pageant for China's non-Olympic sport events, will start in May in Hefei, the capital city of Anhui Province, said organizers at a news conference here on Monday.

Feng Jianzhong, deputy director of State General Administration of Sports, announced the start of the torch relay at the end of the conference.

The Games claimed to have attracted 56 delegations from all over the country. Snooker ace Ding Junhui and I-go talent Gu Li are among the nearly 30 thousand participants.

"It isn't another national games," said Feng. "There will come out a brand new awarding system, ensuring that 60 percent of the participants are not empty-handed." The Olympic "medal system" will not appear in the Games.

Yang Zengquan, Deputy Mayor of Hefei city, said it is an opportunity to accelerate the city's economic development. "It seems like an Olympic Games to our citizens," Yang said.

The local government, who frequently referred to its money-saving principle in hosting the Game, announced a one billion yuan (about 140 million U.S. dollars) investment on the Games.